Upside down worlds

The Upside-down Worlds

Lily

With a grinding crunch, one of peddles snapped off. I didn’t know what to do. I smashed my bike to the ground in furry.

Why did I have to do that dare? I have nowhere to go and I’m in a place I’m not familiar with.

I ran to the nearest grave and ducked. I took a peek to see if the coyotes were still there.

All clear!

I raced to the cabin my friends and I were staying in. Suddenly flashbacks raced to me.

“I dare you!” Exclaimed Nisha.

“What! No” I said.

“Just open the closet door.” Said Clare.

“What are you scared that something will jump out and say boo!” Sunny said.

“No, this door doesn’t feel right,” I replied.

“Yeah, whatever!” Said Nisha.

I took a few steps forward opened the door. It was just a regular closet full of cleaning supplies.

“See nothing to be afraid of,” said Sunny.

“Then why did you dare me? Were you scared to?” I asked starting to get mad.

Sunny’s face turned completely white and was looking behind me.

“That’s what I thought, you were…” I yelled before I was pulled into the dark closet.

Before I left the light I could hear them calling,

“Lily!”

I woke up on the ground. Looked to be outside the cabin.

Maybe there was a hole in the closet and I fell through. But I would’ve seen the hole when I looked in the closet and I would be under the cabin.

I got up and looked around. It still looked like the same campsite our parents dropped us off at. I then heard a howl behind me. I turned and saw eyes moving through the darkness. Towards me!

I found a dirty blue bike lying on the side of our cabin.

What a crazy coincidence. I thought.

My sense came back to me. I scanned the darkroom for my friends, but they weren’t there. The mysterious closet wasn’t there either. I grabbed some materials and ran out of the cabin. I knew my friends put me into this weird universe, but I still needed to find them. If it is possible.

Nisha

I looked behind Lily and saw a big shadow snatch her into the closet. I ran after her but quickly stopped because Sunny grabbed my arm. I pulled myself away and jumped. I soon regretted it after I kept on falling. It felt like I was plummeting down a black hole. I landed hard on my side.

“Ouch,” I thought.

I got up and glanced around. It looked to be a corn maze. I had no choice, but to run and see if I can find Lily.

Sunny

I started daydreaming about what would be inside the closet. Maybe a skeleton. When Lily opened the door, I was a little sad. Then I saw it. The huge, probably 9 foot, black shadow figure. I wanted to warn her, so bad, but my jaw wouldn’t move. Then it snatched her and we all yelled,

“Lily!”

Nisha sprinted to the closet, but I was quick enough to grab her arm. Though I wasn’t strong enough and she pulled away falling into the deep void.

I looked at Claire. She nodded before I even asked. I jumped into the closet, but nothing happened. I still saw cleaning supplies. I started to sneeze realizing I was allergic to dust. I was going to go back out, but the door slammed shut. Startled, I opened the door again, but I wasn’t in the Cabin. I was in a house. Well, a house made of Deserts.

Claire

I saw Nisha run behind Lily. Sunny tried to stop Nisha, but it was no use. Sunny turned toward me. I knew what she was going to ask and nodded in agreement. She jumped in, but nothing happened. Suddenly, the door slammed shut and I was in the room alone.

All I can see was pitch darkness, until a room I had never seen before opened up. I heard a lady singing a lullaby, while a baby cried in the background. I walked toward the woman, who was in a rocking chair. She seemed to be holding the baby in a white cotton blanket.

I don’t think she heard me because every step I took toward her was squeaking. She then called out, who I think was me.

“Come see your sister, Claire.”

Startled, I stepped back not knowing what to do. The lady turned around. It was a horrible sight. Both of her eyeballs were missing and there were cracks all over her face.

She kept on screaming, “Come here!” and she threw her baby at me. Though it wasn’t a baby it was a doll. I dashed out of that place as fast as I could. I had to hide. There was a shed on my right, so I sprinted to it.

Lily

After both running and walking for probably a couple of miles, I took the materials I brought with me and set them on a huge rock.

I took two granola bars, a half-full water bottle, and a small pocket knife. It was getting dark and I needed to find someplace to sleep, so I sprinted into the forest to find shelter. I started hearing the owls, maybe barn owls, hooting at each other and some other night birds tweeting. Suddenly I had this feeling someone was watching me. I just shrugged it off and jogged till I saw an opening in the forest. It was the most beautiful Landscape. There was a clear, blue stream, shining beautifully in the sunset. Some pine trees stood over this stream, which cast shadows in a lot of places. I still felt the sense someone was watching me so I moved on. I started washing all the dirt off in the stream and decided to get some sleep. A deer crossed me while I was cleaning. It was a majestic creature. Then I saw another deer cross, but it didn’t look right. Wait that’s not a deer. That’s a man.

I slowly got up and walked backward trying not to make a splash. However, he still heard me and looked up from whatever he was doing.

You know that feeling when somebody is staring at you but feels like they are staring into your soul. Well, that’s how I felt. His face was all dirty and he wore skin. Deerskin. He had long fingernails and wavy hair, that didn’t look like it has been washed in forever.

The man stood up on two legs and started talking gibberish.

“What I can’t hear you!” I yelled, still moving backward.

“What is your name?” Asked the man.

“Lily? What’s your name?”

“Daniel. Daniel Boban!”

“Ok?”

“I’m.”

He started talking gibberish again. I asked him to speak louder but I still couldn’t hear him.

“WHAT!” I asked.

“I’M HUNGRY!” screamed Daniel.

“I have a granola bar if you want it.”

“No! Meat!” Daniel yelled.

“Ok? I don’t have any!”

“You!”

“Me?”

He ran to me and almost bit my leg, but I was faster than him.

Nisha

I bolted through the maze in every direction hoping to find Lily standing there saying that she is ok. I ended up jogging towards a dead end, but something confused me. In the pitch darkness, I could make out some light. I decided to run toward it because I guess how every horror movie ends. I came closer and closer until I could make out some grunts and wrestling of a bush. It seemed to be a horse. A glowing horse. Stuck on a piece of barb wire randomly hung on a bush. The horse saw me and jerked backward, only making its cuts worse.

“Hey, I’m not going to hurt you. Let me help.”

It seemed to understand me and calm down a little. I stroked its mane and gently untangled the barbwire it got itself into. Finely, the horse was free. It tried to get up but whined and sat down. The horse was very unusual. It was glowing orange and had a beautiful white mane that hung down his neck. I kept on petting its extraordinary fur until I fell asleep.

I woke up a little while later to the horse neighing. I was laying on the dusty ground. The horse stood in front of me like it was protecting me. I soon saw eyes. They appeared out of the darkness and soon revealed they were coyotes. They growled and licked their chops. I scooted backward into the bush, petrified. Astonished the horse fought the coyotes and scared them off. It looked at me and nodded its head up and down. It looked to be ushering me onto its back. I slowly got up and walked over to it. I jumped on and the horse took off jumping over the bushes one by one. I held on. I hoped this horse knew what it was doing.

Claire

I tried to open the shed, but it seemed to be locked. I decided to try to figure out the code. I twisted the combinations around a bit and figured the code was 123456789. That is such an easy code to figure out, whoever built locked this shed must have been an old person. I ran in and locked the door behind me. I turned and saw the room was filled with weird-shape mirrors. I decided to explore so I walked to my left, but encountered a mirror with my face. Panicked, I ran to my right but when headfirst into another mirror. After laying on the floor breathless I looked up to find a clown in the mirror in front of me. The face moved.

Clowns are my worst nightmare. Their weird face makeup and their big ugly shoes. When my fourth birthday came up, my parents invited a clown to make me laugh. All it did was scare me. It bopped its little horn in my face over and over again. I screamed and screamed. That started my hate and phobia of clowns.

I shot up and walked backward, but all I did was run into the mirror which cornered me with this clown.

“All I want to do is find my friends! Leave me alone!” I screamed.

Sunny

I could tell I wasn’t near the cabin. I started walking forward and heard the scraping of a knife. I turned to find a lady in an apron sharpening a knife with a stone. Her eyes fixed on me. I didn’t know if I should run, hide, or fight. I decided to fight because I’m not running away from a lady with a knife. I grabbed a rolling pin from a chocolate-covered table and charged toward her screaming. She seemed to have moved because I ran straight into the wall. I fell on a soft cushion that looked to be made of marshmallows. She looked down at me and gave me a warming smile.

“Would you like some cookies?” She asked without asking why I broke into her house.

“Um, sure,” I replied scratching my head.

She pulled me up and sat me down in a chair that was weirdly not made of deserts. She put her knife down on the counter and filled some chocolate cookies up to the brim. She sat them down on the table for me. She glared at me as I took a cookie. After one bite she asked,

“Do you like it? It’s a new recipe I’m trying.”

I nodded because my mouth was too full.

After I was done I asked, “Um, so why is your house made of deserts?”

“Oh, I get that question a lot. This was my great, great, great ancestor’s house. Everyone knows the story of Hansel and Gretel right?”

“Yeah! Hansel and Gretel are left in the woods by her mother and they find a house made of deserts. Then they are killed by the evil witch who lived there.”

“Oh well, my great grandmother wasn’t evil and didn’t kill Hansel and Gretel. She raised them because they had nowhere to go. Then at some point in life, they died peacefully.”

“Oh ok. Well, I need to go and find my friends.” I said getting up.

“Ok, sweetheart. If you go down the road you will see a sign. You can probably find your way then. Hope you find your friends!”

“Thank you!” I said about to walk out the cotton candy door.

“Wait! Before you go do you mind leaving that rolling pin?” She asked chuckling.

“Oh! Yeah sorry.” I replied forgetting I was holding a rolling pin

I gave the pen to her and ran out of the house, down the road as she said. I got stopped by a sign pointing both right and left. On the left sign it was carved doom or death and on the right was carved safe and best. I decided to go right because it seemed safer. Though I’m pretty sure out of the corner of my eye the sign switched. I ran halfway until I heard a crunch in a big bush. I stopped in my tracks. A bunny jumped out in front sniffing.

“Aww!” I said.

Then the bunny turned my way. It was hideous. It had bloody fangs hanging out of its mouth and horns on top of its head. It looked like it was sent by the devil, because of those red deadly eyes. I felt like the back of my head was pounding and things started turning black. That’s when I passed out.

Lily

I sprinted through trees, hoping he would move on, but now he was on all fours galloping after me like a maniac. I saw a cabin up ahead. Probably one of the older cabins. I ran inside and locked the door behind me. I searched around for a way out. There was a window. I looked out of it and it looked to be a 40-mile jump into the lake. I don’t know who will build a cabin off a cliff. The crazy man let out a chuckle outside the door and before I knew it the door was broke down. He stood up and ran after me. I had no choice but to jump out of the window. Falling felt like forever. I looked up and saw the man screaming at me. I looked down to see the dark blue lake coming closer as I plummeted for my life. I hit the water with a splash. It was cold. I felt my fingers becoming numb. My eyes felt like closing, so I did.

My eyes lifted. It seemed to be dark. How long have I been in the water? Though I wasn’t in the water, I was on a sandy bank with scattered trees all around. I sat up. My head was throbbing. I didn’t think I hit my head when I fell, maybe I did. I turned around to see two glowing blue eyes in the darkness. It came out and it was a gray wolf. Beautiful. It slowly walked towards me. I reached out my hand. It stumbled back like it thought I was going to thrash him.

“It’s ok. I won’t hurt you.” I called out.

It seemed to know what I was saying and came closer to let me stroke his fur.

“Did this wolf save me from the water?” I thought.

I tried to stand up, but my foot was in pain. It appeared to be scratched up. The wolf might’ve accidentally scratched it as it dragged me to shore. If the wolf even saved me. It started growling past me. I looked behind and there were coyotes, at least 20, swimming toward us.

Nisha

We trotted through the darkness. I felt the need to shut my eyes and think of something happy, but now I need to find Lily. Who knows where Sunny or Claire is? I just want to return Lily and forget this happened. Even though that will be hard to do.

The horse suddenly stopped in his tracks.

“What’s wrong buddy,” I asked.

Out of nowhere, the horse jumped and I fell off. He started brushing his foot on the ground like he was a bull getting ready to charge. I got up and was about to stroke his glowing hair, but it ran off leaving in the darkness. All alone.

I decided to move on because it was getting colder out. After turning many corners, I saw an opening.

“Yes! Finally, I’m out!” I said out loud, even if I had no one to talk to.

As I walked out I spotted a small pond. Probably dehydrated, I walked over to drink some water. I gulped up the water till I couldn’t anymore. I wiped my mouth with my arm after I was finished. Through the reflection of the water, I saw a girl.

“Lily!” I said looking up.

Though it wasn’t Lily. It was a girl with long black hair floating on top of the water, staring at me. She had pale bare feet and arms. The girl wore a white gown that went all the way down to her feet. I wanted to call out for help, but I couldn’t. There was no one around to here. Except for this floating girl.

Claire

The clown stepped out of the mirror, so smoothly that it looked like it was a hallucination. He then grabbed my hand.

“What do you want?” I sobbed.

“You!” Said the clown.

“You can’t have me!”

“To!”

“What!”

“Have!”

“Stop! You’re scaring me!”

“Some Hot chocolate! You seem cold from all that water coming from your eyes.”

“Oh! Well, thank you!”

The clown nodded.

“Why, though?”

“Well, like I said you seem cold…”

“No! Why are you being nice?”

“Well, clowns are just nice.” He replied getting a little frustrated.

“Not all clowns,” I mumbled

“What did you say?”

“Nothing.”

“Ok then come with me through this mirror.”

“I already ran into enough mirrors today, so if this is a joke…”

“You’re not going to run into the mirror, because it is actually a doorway and I don’t make jokes anymore.” He said.

“Ok. Ok. Let’s go.”

He pulled me by the mirror.

“So, you need to say these magic words to get in. Ok?”

“Ok?” I said confused.

“Repeat after me. This clown…”

“This clown…”

“Is the…”

“Ok. I don’t think these are magic words.”

“Repeat after me….”

“Uh. This clown is the…” I said rolling my eyes.

“Best…”

“Huh”

“Clown in the…”

“Wait! What!”

“World! Ok, we’re running out of time. My hot chocolate is getting cold.”

He pushed me through the mirror and I stumbled into what looked like a sewer.

“Um. I think we’re in a sewer.” I said.

“I call it my home.” He said offended.

I followed him through the tunnel and we came across a big opening.

“My home!” He said.

I looked around. There was a kitchen in one corner of the room and on the other a bed made of garbage.

“Yuck!” I said without thinking I’m saying it out loud.

“Well, how about that hot chocolate.”

He gave me a cup. It was full of green and brown hunks. The odor was horrible.

“So, um, how long have you been living down here?” I laughed nervously.

“Oh, a long time. You haven’t touched your drink yet. Is it not good?”

“It’s…It’s um just I’m not that thirsty. I got to go.”

“Oh ok! I’m just not finished talking to you yet.”

“Sorry, bye.”

I ran out of that place and dove through the mirrors like I was a pro. I unlocked the door and ran out. The clown seemed nice, but the blood splatters on the wall shook me. I decided to move on and find my friends. I suddenly heard a scream. I knew that voice. Nisha!

Sunny

I woke up, not knowing how long I was passed out for. The bunny was gone. I’m glad. I get queasy when it comes to blood. I started walking on the path but started getting dizzy like I was going to pass out again, so I sat down. I heard a distant howl that seemed to be coming from a wolf. It sounded like it was in trouble. I decided to run toward the sound but came across a deer. No, a human. I kind of wondered what foolish person would think this was a deer.

“Hello!” I said forgetting the rule don’t talk to strangers.

“Hi! What’s your name?” Said the strange man.

“Um, Sunny Smith. Yours?”

“Daniel Boban! I’m hungry.”

“Me too!”

“Meat.”

“Oh, there was a bunny back there. Somewhere at least. Maybe you can eat it.” I realized he probably meant me.

“Ok.”

The crazy man on all fours ran past me. I strolled on. I saw what looked to be an older cabin. I bolted to it and went inside. I heard the howl once more and realized it had to be coming outside the window. The window seemed to be open. I looked out of it and saw the long deadly drop. I also saw, from the light of the moon, a wolf. Also a girl. Wait, Lily!

“Lily!” I called out.

She glanced up and smiled.

“Sunny! You’re here!”

“Yeah! Also, what are you doing done there?”

“Long story, but it ends with coyotes swimming towards us.”

“Oh need help?”

“I think we got it,” Lily yelled.

I watched as the wolf fought off the coyotes. The coyotes let out whines and barks. They then left leaving only Lily and the wolf there.

“Can you try to climb up here?” I asked.

“I can try, but my foot is pretty well damaged.”

The wolf then came to Lily. It seemed to be giving Lily help, by letting her hold on to its back. I observed them while they climbed the steep hill. I ran out of the cabin and sprinted to them as they came to the top. I gave Lily a big hug.

“I’m sorry! We wouldn’t have gotten into this mess if it wasn’t for us. Also, you were right. I didn’t like that closet.” I cried.

“It’s ok. Now let us go find the others.” She replied.

Nisha

I decided to let out a scream, just in case. Maybe my friends will hear or at least the horse. The girl started striding towards me. I closed my eyes and hid on my knees. I didn’t like this and wanted to go home. Then I felt someone breathe on my neck. I looked up and the glowing horse stood above me.

“You came back,” I said trying to hug his neck backward.

The horse let out a small neigh and ushered me to get on. I got on but heard a voice. It made me shiver. Was it the girl? I turned behind and the voice came again.

“Nisha!” Someone yelled.

Wait! I know that person. Claire.

Claire

Was that Nisha? Well, it’s probably too late to turn back, so I’ll move through this maze. After running turning many lefts and rights, I finally came across an opening. I saw a glow. I slowly walked out and I saw a glowing horse. Unusual. Then I saw the shadow of a girl on top.

“Nisha?” I called.

“Claire!”

“Nisha! Oh my goodness! I have finally found you. I thought that was your scream.”

Nisha jumped off the horse and ran to me with a big hug.

“We need to find the others,” I said.

“Others?” Nisha asked.

“Oh, yea. Sunny jumped in to find you.”

“Oh. Let’s go then.” She said running to the horse. “Jump on!”

I jumped onto the glowing horse and he took off. After a while of galloping on a dirt path, we came across a house. Well, a house made of deserts. We saw a lady watering some plants or chocolate plants. I don’t know.

“Um. Excuse me.” I said.

She looked up from the plants and said, “May I help you?”

“Have you seen a girl with blond hair or a girl with brown hair?” I asked.

“Oh, I have seen a blond girl. She came into my house.”

“Ok. Thank you. Which way?” I asked.

“Go down the dirt road. Then you will see a sign. I think you will know the way as soon as you reach the sign. Also, would you like some cookies before you go?” She asked politely.

“Thank you again. Um, we just need to find our friends.” Nisha replied.

The lady smiled at us and went back to watering her plants. We rode till we go to the sign as the lady told us we would.

“Which way? Left or right?” Asked Nisha.

“It says right is the safe way, so go right,” I replied.

We trotted to the right until we saw two people and a wolf.

“Sunny! Lily!” Nisha and I shouted.

They were covered in bruises and had mud dried to their skin. We jumped off the horse, which kind of startled it, and sprinted to them.

“Claire! Nisha!” They both shouted and ran to us.

We all came together in a great big hug.

“I’m sorry for daring you,” Nisha said to Lily.

“We’re all sorry.” Said Sunny.

“Yeah,” I said.

“It’s ok. Part of it was my fault.”

“No! It’s all our fault.” I said.

“Ok. It’s all your fault.” Lily laughed. We laughed with her.

“Wait!” Sunny said.

“What?” We all said confused.

“We have one more adventure. Getting out of here.” Sunny replied.

We all sighed.

“There is never an end to this adventure!”

Written by: Shiloh Jamison